ADRIAN — The Adrian City Commission voted unanimously Monday to accept $55,423 in federal funds to buy new computers and related equipment for public use at the Adrian Public Library.

The funds, which are being administered by Michigan State University, are part of $7.2 billion approved by Congress in 2009 as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act to expand access to broadband data services across the country.

The city knew two years ago that it would get the money, but the commission still had to agree formally Monday to accept the funds, library director Carol Souchock said.

The city expects to buy 22 Dell public access computers and 11 laptops, a laptop cart to create a mobile lab for computer training, and new computer furniture for the youth section of the library.

The library also will upgrade its public wireless network, purchase a ceiling mounted projector for the library meeting room and buy four iPads for hands-on training.

As a grant match, the city already has spent $6,750 from its technology fund for an eductional computer for older children and software for the new library

computers, Souchock said.

The educational computer and software were purchased within the month, she said.

The commission also agreed to spend $5,908 from the library capital fund and $1,700 from the Maurice and Dorothy Stubnitz Foundation to pay for data and electrical upgrades at the library to serve the new computers.

The new computers should be installed some time in the spring, Souchock said.

The new equipment comes in conjunction with a high-speed Internet connection being built in Lenawee County and statewide by Merit Network Inc. of Ann Arbor. Merit received a total of almost $103 million in federal stimulus funds to install more than 2,000 miles of a new fiber optic cable in underserved areas of the state. Three private sector companies, including TC3 of Adrian, are partners in the project.

The new, high-speed connection for Lenawee County is expected to be complete by the end of this month.

MSU conducted an inventory of Michigan libraries’ public access computers and technology needs, according to a memo from Souchock. The inventory determined that the Adrian Public Library was underserving the public based on population and existing technological assets, according to the memo.